Traditional arts and music awards see more entries

Taipei, Aug 3 (CNA) Registration for the upcoming annual awards ceremony for excellence in traditional arts and music in Taiwan has increased this year after a review of the submission rules, organizers said on Tuesday.

A total of 882 nominations were received for the 32nd Golden Melody Awards for Traditional Arts and Music, an increase of 239 from last year, said Annie Chen (陳悅宜), director of the National Center for Traditional Arts. .

The center is the administrative arm of the Taiwan Traditional Theater Center, where the ceremony will take place on October 9.

The increase was most notable in the music production category, which received 702 admissions compared to just 481 last year, the Ministry of Culture (MOC) said in a statement.

It is believed that the increase in submissions is due to the fact that the format that artists can submit their works has been extended to include digital inputs, such as media saved to USB drives, instead of accepting only CDs and DVDs, Chen said.

“We are in the digital age, and nowadays there are many ways to publish a work. In the past, we only accepted CDs and DVDs, but when digital is the main trend, we would lose a lot of works, ”Chen mentioned.

Likewise, the awards have also accepted traditional records so that artists can use older media to submit their works, Chen added.

The drop in entries to just 643 entries last year, where awards normally number between 800 and 1,000 entries, led to an internal review of the reasons for the decline, which then resulted in broader format rules for entries, Chen said.

“Receiving an increased number of submissions during the pandemic compared to last year is good news,” Chen said.

The Golden Melody Awards for Traditional Arts and Music, which honor individual artists, groups and works of art who have contributed to Taiwan’s diverse, creative and rich cultural heritage, reflect the aesthetics of our daily life, according to the MOC.

“The beauty of traditional arts can enhance the aesthetics of everyday life and, in turn, enhance the overall beauty of Taiwan,” said Lee Lien-chuan, MOC administrative vice minister (李連 權).

Nominees this year include the album “YIN. An Unlimited Passage” by Taipei Chamber Singers, which was founded in 1992 and won 15 international awards to become one of Asia’s top vocal groups.

Their album topped the bunch this year with six nominations in the categories of Best Artistic Music Album, Best Album Producer, Best Recording, Best Performance, Best Composition, and Best Lyrics.

Meanwhile, the play “Matinee In The Rain”, a joint production of Chun Mei Taiwanese Opera Troupe and Golden Bough Theater; “The Storyteller and Her Dream” by the Taiwanese Opera Company Tang Mei Yun; and “Wang Zao Jun” of the Taiwanese opera troupe Shintrun topped the nominations for traditional performing arts with six nominations each.

This year, Four Seas Records founder Liao Chien-yuan (廖 乾元) and Taiwanese opera performer Liao Chiung-chih (廖 瓊 枝) will receive special awards for their contribution to traditional arts and music, according to the ministry. of the culture.

In 2014, the Golden Melody Awards for Traditional Arts and Music were separated from the Golden Melody Awards and have since been held under the auspices of the National Center for Traditional Arts.